Chapter 574

Chapter 574 – What a Coincidence!

Ye Yaoyao’s footsteps slowed. She tried her best to recall who she had seen when she had been locked up over the past few years. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember anything.

“I… I don’t know.” She shook her head profusely. “The auntie didn’t tell me anything, and I don’t know who I had offended, and why they wanted to lock me up in this way.”

“If you can’t recall, then don’t think anymore.” Ye Zhen grabbed her hand, then gently patted her shoulder. “You won’t be locked up anymore.”

Ye Yaoyao looked timidly at the girl next to her. “Your Highness, am I… am I very useless?”

“Why would you think that way?” Ye Zhen’s finger slid onto the girl’s wrist without the latter noticing and secretly took her pulse.

“Compared to you, I just feel I’m very useless,” Ye Yaoyao said bashfully.

Ye Zhen was taken aback, unsure as to why Ye Yaoyao was comparing herself to her. “Everyone has their own merits. You don’t have to compare yourself to others.”

This girl… doesn’t seem to be poisoned. There aren’t any old ailments in her body either. Could there really be something in this world that could make someone completely forget her memories?

Even though there was no need for comparison, Ye Yaoyao still couldn’t resist comparing herself with Ye Zhen. When she was in the palace, she had already heard of Lu Yaoyao’s name from the mouths of the palace maids. Many of them would place their names together and discuss who among the two of them was the most beautiful woman in the capital.

Now that she had met Lu Yaoyao in person, she felt relief for the first time, relieved that Lu Yaoyao was the princess. Truth be told… even though she couldn’t explain it, she just felt that it was fortunate that Lu Yaoyao was a princess.

After all, it was impossible for a princess to marry the emperor.

Ye Zhen had already released Ye Yaoyao’s hand. She was still wondering what methods Lu Lingzhi had used to cause this girl’s amnesia, to the point that she forgot everything but her name.

She recalled that in those two years that her spirit was wandering around the palace, she had never heard the name Ye Yaoyao nor did she have an inkling that Lu Lingzhi had prepared such a pawn.

Could it be that when Lu Lingzhi decided to replace Lu Wushuang as Mo Rongzhan’s saviour, he had already locked up Ye Yaoyao as a precautionary measure?

“Yaoyao!” Mo Rongyi’s excited voice sounded, breaking Ye Zhen’s train of thought.

The two girls had already reached the stables without realising it, but before they could pick suitable horses, they already saw Mo Rongyi bringing back two wild pheasants with him.

“You’ve been away for half a day, but all you caught were two pheasants?” Ye Zhen was amused by the little prince’s exhilarated face.

Mo Rongyi glared at the girl when he didn’t hear her compliments. “You have to see what time of the day it is now. It’s already great that this prince has managed to catch two pheasants.”

Ye Zhen burst out laughing. “Yes, it’s really great. Tonight, we can just grill some chicken wings.”

Ye Yaoyao, who was standing beside them, looked at Ye Zhen, who was laughing freely,  in astonishment. She thought to herself, Lu Yaoyao has such a good relationship with the little prince, it’s no wonder everyone likes her.

“Who is this?” It was only after Mo Rongyi dismounted from his horse that he realised there was an unfamiliar girl standing beside Ye Zhen, so he pointed at Ye Yaoyao and queried.

Ye Yaoyao was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear. She had clearly met the little prince twice at the empress dowager’s place, but he actually couldn’t remember who she was.

“Your Highness, this is Miss Ye,” Chun Mei responded.

It was only then that the little prince remembered who she was. “Oh, I know.”

“Imperial Mother knows that you’re here. She’s waiting for you to go and see her, but you ran to the woods to hunt instead! Hurry up and pay your respects to Imperial Mother!” Ye Zhen glared at Mo Rongyi and rushed him to visit the empress dowager.

Since Mo Rongyi had returned, Ye Zhen naturally didn’t need to go into the woods. Hence, she returned with Ye Yaoyao.

When the empress dowager saw the little prince, she was overjoyed. She had someone bring the two birds away. Their dinner that night was going to be a hot pot of wild peasants.

♚

By the time Ye Zhen managed to visit Imperial Physician Qi, it was night. In order to treat the empress dowager’s aching legs, Qi Jin* was still in the manor.

(*Qi Jin = Imperial Physician Qi, she is also Huangfu Chen’s paternal aunt)

“Imperial Physician Qi.”

When Ye Zhen came over, Qi Jin was still in the room, reading her medical texts.

“Yaoyao, you’re finally here.” Qi Jin put down the book in her hand and smiled as she ushered the girl in. “Why are you back alone? Is your master still at Zhao Jia Island?”

“I heard that Master is dealing with Mu Qing’s funeral. I don’t know when he’ll be back,” Ye Zhen said. In reality, she was rather worried that Huangfu Chen was going to return to seclusion because of heartache.

Qi Jin was shell-shocked. “Mu Qing is dead?”

Ye Zhen briefly explained the happenings following their encounter with Zhao Tianji.

“… Master also didn’t know that Mu Qing was married. He went to Zhao Jia Island only because he wanted to clear up the misunderstanding from back then. Unexpectedly, Zhao Mingxiao had such great ambitions, and he didn’t even let Mu Qing off.”

“I didn’t think that things would develop to this extent…” Qi Jin sighed ruefully. “Regardless, at least there was news about Mu Qing. He doesn’t have to wander around as he did in the past looking for her.”

Ye Zhen only felt that Mu Qing’s death was truly regrettable; she felt that Zhao Mingxiao was truly a piece of trash.

“Imperial Physician Qi, I heard that you’re treating Miss Ye?” Ye Zhen focused her gaze on her nails as she smiled and asked about Ye Yaoyao.

At the mention of Ye Yaoyao, Qi Jin’s brows furrowed. “Actually, I can’t really tell what illness she has. In reality, she only learned about her own name from others. I suspect that she might have been hurt in the past and had lost her family members, which affected her so badly that she forgot everything that happened in the past. That’s also a kind of illness.”

Ye Zhen was shocked. “Her family members?”

“His Majesty had sent someone to investigate her background,” Qi Jin said. “Ye Yaoyao’s father was supposed to come to the capital seven or eight years ago to report on his duties, but on their journey back, their entire family met with a storm on the river, and she was the only one who survived. Fortunately, she was saved by Lu Shifeng, who was passing by while on his business travels. I’m not too clear about what happened after that, but her amnesia might have been related to this matter.”

She came to the capital seven or eight years ago? That was about the time that I saved Mo Rongzhan. Lu Lingzhi is truly capable; he actually found someone whose time in the capital matched the incident!

Who knows, perhaps Ye Yaoyao had also attended the Flower Appreciation Festival that year…

Ye Zhen carefully recalled if she had seen Ye Yaoyao back at the Baihua Garden back then. Unfortunately, she was a noble lady who was surrounded by young lads from other prestigious families, so she certainly wouldn’t have noticed someone of Ye Yaoyao’s identity.

But it didn’t matter if she didn’t notice; there would certainly be someone who would remember.

“Why are you interested in Ye Yaoyao’s condition?” Qi Jin asked, amused when she saw Ye Zhen deep in thought.

Ye Zhen snapped out of her senses and smiled. “It’s something that I’ve never heard about before, so naturally I asked out of interest.”

“I’m going to give her a consultation tomorrow. Do you want to come along? Your medical skills might already be above mine. Who knows, you might be able to notice something.”

After the plague in Huaijiang, Qi Jin had already recognised this young lady’s gift in medicine. She didn’t feel jealous or inferior that someone this young had surpassed her, a veteran in the art. If anything, she felt immense pride.

“Imperial Physician Qi, don’t tease me. I just know a little,” Ye Zhen said with a smile.

♚♚♚